The Results Are In!

ALA Announces the 2022 Youth Media Award Recipients

The American Library Association recently announced the 2022 Youth Media Award Winners! In honor of Library Lovers Month, Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week, and our avid adoration for books, we have listed the results below. Congratulations to all of the authors, illustrators, and publishers that were among the recipients of these awards; the work and dedication that goes into creating these meaningful stories is irreplaceable.

The John Newberry Medal

This award is given to the most outsanding contribution to children’s literature, which was The Last Cuentista, written by Donna Barba Higuera and published by Levin Querido.

Jacket cover of The Last Cuentista
The Randolph Caledecott Medal

Recognized for the most distinguished American picture book for children, Watercress, illustrated by Jason Chin and written by Andrea Wang was published by Neal Porter Books.

Jacket cover of Watercress
Coretta Scott King Author/Illustrator Book Award

This award recognizes an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults.

Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Floyd Cooper was this years recipient, and was published by Carolrhoda Books, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Groups, Inc.

Jacket cover of Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre
Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award

Me (Moth), written by Amber McBride, was chosen for this award and was published by Feiwell and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group.

Jacket cover of Me (Moth)
Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award

The recipient of this award was The Me I Choose to Be, illustrated by Regis and Kahran Bethencourt, written by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley, and published by Little, Brown, and Company

Jacket cover of The Me I Choose to be
Coretta Scott King— Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement

Nikki Grimes is the winner of the Coretta Scott King— Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. The award pays tribute to the quality and magnitude of beloved children’s author Virginia Hamilton. Grimes has been widely recognized for her distinguished contribution to children’s and young adult literature, winning numerous major awards. After more than seventy-seven books, she has sealed her legacy by weaving poetry and novels in verse into an impressive body of writing.

Nikki Grimes
Michael L. Printz Award

For excellence in literature written for young adults, Angeline Boulley’s Firekeeper’s Daughter was the winning recipient. This title was published by Henry Holt and Company, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.

Jacket cover for Firekeeper's Daughter
Schneider Family Book Award

This award is given to books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience.

Ages 0 to 8 winner: My City Speaks, written by Darren Lebeuf, illustrated by Ashley Barron, and published by Kids Can Press Ltd.

Ages 9 to 13 winner: A Bird Will Soar by Alison Green Myers and published by Dutton Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House.

Ages 14 to 18 winner: Words in My Hands, written and illustrated by Asphyzia and published by Annick Press, Ltd.

Jacket cover for My City Speaks
The Words in my Hands jacket cover
A Bird will Soar jacket cover
The Alex Awards

For this award, ten titles are selected that best appeal to teen audiences.

  1. Light from Uncommon Start by Ryka Aoki, published by Tor Books, imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, a devision of Macmillan Publishing Group.
  2. The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin, published by Harper Perennial, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
  3. The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec, ACE, published by Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
  4. The Library of the Dead by T.L Huchu, published by Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, a division of Macmillan Publishing Group.
  5. How Lucky, by Will Leitch, published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
  6. Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell, published by Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, a division of Macmillan Publishing Group.
  7. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn, published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
  8. Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport That Changed Their Lives Forever by Kareem Rosser, published by St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing, a division of Macmillan Publishing Group.
  9. Lore Olympus, Vol. 1, by Rachel Smythe, published by Del Ray, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House.
  10. Malice by Heather Walter, published by Del Rey, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House.
Children's Literature Legacy Award

This award honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children through books that demonstrate integrity and respect for all children’s lives and experiences.

Grace Lin, author of The Ugly Vegetables, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Ling & Ting: not Exactly the Same, A Big Mooncake for Little Star, and others was awarded.

Photo of author Grace Lin
The Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award

Alma’s Way, produced by Fred Rogers Productions, was awarded this title for creating a distinguished digital media for an early learning audience.

Alma's Way
Margaret A. Edwards Award

A.S. King was chosen for this award due to a lifetime achievement in writing for young adults. King’s works include Ask the Passengers, Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future, Please Ignore Vera Dietz, and others.

A.S. King
Mildred L. Batchelder Award

Recognized as an outstanding children’s book originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States.

The winner was Temple Alley Summer written by Sachiko Kashiwaba, illustrated by Miho Satake, translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa, and published by Yonder: Restless Books for Young Readers.

Jacket cover of Temple Alley Summer
Odyssey Award

For best audiobooks produced for children and young adults, available in English in the United States.

Children’s Winner: Boogie Boogie, Y’all, produced by HarperAudio/Katherine Tegen Books is the winner for children. Written and narrated by C.G. Esperanza.

Young Adult Winner: When You Look Like Us, produced by HarperAudio/Quill Tree Books. It was written by Pamela N. Harris and narrated by Preston Butler III.

Jacket cover of Boogie Boogie, Y'all
Jacket cover of When You Look Like Us
Pura Belpré Awards

These awards honor Latinx writers and illustrators whose children’s and young adult books best portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience.

Youth Illustration Award Winner: ¡Vamos! Let’s Cross the Bridge, illustrated and written by Raúl Gonzalez and was published by Versify, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Author Award Winner: The Last Cuentista written by Donna Barba Higuera and published by Levine Querido.

Young Adult Author Award Winner: How Moon Fuentes Fell in Love with the Universe written by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

Jacket cover of ¡Vamos! Let’s Cross the Bridge
How Moon Fuentes Fell in Love with the Universe
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award

This award goes to a work that is considered to be the most distinguished informational book for children. 

The winner was The People’s Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Art, written by Cynthia Levinson and illustrated by Evan Turk, published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS.

Jacket cover of The People’s Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Art
Stonewall Book Award— Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award

Given annually to English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender experience.

Stonewall Book Awards— Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s Literature Award Winner: Too Bright to See written by Kyle Lukoff and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Stonewall Book Awards— Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Young Adult Literature Award Winner: Last Night at the Telegraph Club written by Malinda Lo and published by Dutton Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House.

Cover of Too Bright to See
Cover fof Last Night at the Telegraph Club written by Malinda Lo
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award

For the most distinguished beginning reader book, Fox at Night, written and illustrated by Corey R. Tabor, published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, was the recipient.

Fox at Night, written and illustrated by Corey R. Tabor
William C. Morris Award

This award is given out to a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens.

The Firekeeper’s Daughter, written by Angeline Boulley and published by Henry Holt and Company, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, was selected.

Jacket cover for Firekeeper's Daughter
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults

Ambushed!: The Assassination Plot Against President Garfield, written by Gail Jarrow, published by Calkins Creek, an imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers.

Jacket cover of Ambushed!: The Assassination Plot Against President Garfield
American Indian Youth Literature Awards

These awards were established to identify and honor the very best writing and illustrations by and about American Indians and Alaska Natives. Selected titles present American Indians in the fullness of their humanity in the present and past contexts.

Picture Book: Horizon written by Daniel W. Vandever [Diné], illustrated by Corey Begay [Diné] and published by South of Sunrise Creative.

Middle Grade Book: Healer of the Water Monster, written by brian Young [Diné], cover art by Shonto Begay [Diné], and published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Young Adult Book: Apple (Skin to the Core), written by Eric Gansworth [Onodaga], cover art by Filip Peraić and published by Levine Querido.

Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature

This award promotes Asian/Pacific American culture and heritage and is awarded based on literacy and artistic merit. The award offers three youth categories including Picture Book, Children’s Literature and Youth Literature.

Picture Book Winner: Watercress, written by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin and published by Neal Porter Books.

Children’s Literature Winner: Amina’s Song, written by Hena Khan and published by Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.

The Youth Literature Winner: Last Night at the Telegraph Club, written by Malinda Lo and published by Dutton Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House.

Jacket cover of Watercress
Cover fof Last Night at the Telegraph Club written by Malinda Lo
The Sydney Taylor Book Award

Presented annually to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience. The award encourages the publication and widespread use of quality Judaic literature. 

Picture Book Winner: The Passover Guest, written by Susan Kusal, illustrated by Sean Rubin and published by Neal Porter Books, Holiday House.

Middle Grades Winner: How to Find What You’re Not Looking For, by Veera Hiranandani and published by Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Young Adult Winner: The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros and published by Inkyard Press

The Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award

Jane Yolen was recognized as an author who has made a substantial contribution over time to the genre of Jewish children’s literature.